Maleny demands the best option for the NBN service

By Natalie Brown and Kerry BrownThe residents in Maleny have proven they still have the fighting spirit they are known for at a community meeting regarding tower constructions as part of the NBN rollout. One concerned resident, Mr Richard Giles, controversially hijacked the NBNCo community information session in Maleny on Wednesday September 17 when he stood on a chair and rang a bell for attention.Mr Giles began to speak of his concerns about the timing of the information sessions (4-6:30pm drop in session and 6:30-7pm Q&A session) and requested the Q&A session start early to allow for more time for people to ask questions of the NBNCo panel. He was handed a microphone from someone in the crowd as he explained he wanted to catch the more than 150 people who were currently in the hall at 4:30pm, during the drop-in session, and was concerned they would leave without being heard.Mr Giles specifically addressed MP Mal Brough in the crowd. Mr Brough stepped forwarded and demanded Mr Giles speak with him and the NBNCo employees in private. After a short negotiation the group reached a consensus they would begin the Q&A at 5pm, and Mr Brough chaired the proceedings.NBNCo Community Affairs Manager, Mr Ryan Williams told the Gazette not one site is confirmed for a tower in Maleny, "We are in the very early phase of the project and normally we don't hold public meetings until sites are confirmed," Mr Williams explained. "We started investigating options for the NBN project in Maleny and misconceptions started so we decided to hold a meeting to identify exactly what the concerns were. Our aim is to identify the best solution in line with community values in Maleny and deliver the service we have been engaged by the government to provide." For those from the local community who attended the meeting, there were mixed emotions about the NBNCo towers and the information presented. One resident criticised the maps and poster displays as ‘smoke and mirrors aimed at confusing the public rather than informing it’. Other residents who missed the rescheduled Q&A session were disappointed they didn’t have the opportunity to ask questions of the panel of NBNCo employees and some felt that hijacking the session was unfair to those who had work commitments. One local was confused as to why the current government chose the ‘cheap and nasty alternative’, when ‘the original plan for the NBN was fibre to every home and office’.Mr Brough urges the community to remember that the meeting was only the start of the consultation process. “I understand that some residents have very strong views on this,” said Mr Brough, “and I am confident that NBNCo will work with the community and ensure that the concerns are heard.” Perhaps Maleny will be an exception and have the option of fibre to node rather than wireless, given the many concerns that people have with wireless towers in this unique community.One of the concerns of the ‘NBN Tower Action Group’ are with the health risks associated with the wireless towers, to both human and animal life. While the NBNCo maintains “the highest values of radiofrequency electromagnetic energy (RF EME) the public would be exposed to from the NBN base stations are less than 1/100 of the Australian public exposure limit”, there is concern this may still be too much.During the meeting there were issues regarding the visual impact of the towers on the landscape, especially in an area which relies heavily on tourism. And the question was asked about the speed and reliability of the wireless network, as opposed to the fibre to node option. The experience of residents in other areas where the wireless towers are already installed, such as in New South Wales, suggests the topography, weather conditions and bird life of the Maleny area could cause issue with the wireless signal – which requires a line of sight from the tower to a box at each residence.In response to all concerns raised at the meeting Mr Ryan Williams said the next community session will focus on health matters as well as identifying possible sites for the towers in Maleny. And the technical options will also be discussed at future meetings.Mr Giles told the Gazette the information session was a success. “People were happy that NBN/Ericsson moved the agenda forward as a result of community requests, and we got a decent Q&A session, not one jammed up against dinner time with hardly anyone left to hear it,” says Mr Giles. “Community consultation worked, and we were happy we got answers to many questions troubling residents.”